Rob Burbea, in his profound exploration of Buddhist philosophy and meditative experience, articulates 'inherent existence' as the deeply ingrained, yet ultimately illusory, belief that objects, thoughts, sensations, and even the sense of self possess an independent, fixed, and self-sustaining essence. This conviction is not merely an intellectual stance but a deeply embodied perception that colors our moment-to-moment experience and fuels our patterns of attachment, aversion, and delusion. Burbea meticulously delineates how this notion of inherent existence is deconstructed through insight practices, revealing the interdependent, fluid, and contingent nature of all phenomena. By dissolving the illusion of inherent existence, he posits, one can access deeper layers of freedom, compassion, and profound intimacy with the unfolding mystery of life.
See also: dependent origination, conventional truth, ontological inquiry, ultimate truth, relative truth